In addition to their reported pursuit of a point guard – a fairly indiscriminate pursuit that supposedly includes each of Dennis Schroeder, Tyus Jones and Russell Westbrook – the Sacramento Kings are reportedly also targeting a specific reinforcement at the forward positions.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic – a man with a long and storied history of being in the loop on the Kings’ thought processes, having started his career at The Sacramento Bee – the Kings have an interest in acquiring Jonathan Kuminga from the Golden State Warriors. Kuminga, a restricted free agent, is not likely to be available via a straight signing – instead, the Kings will engage with the Warriors about a possible sign-and-trade.
If theyâre going to pay that sort of freight, itâs quite clear, it will be for a younger player who can be a long-term part of their picture. To that end, league sources say the Kings are among the teams that have interest in Golden Stateâs Jonathan Kuminga and will be monitoring his market when his restricted free agency begins. And while it appears unlikely that Kuminga will ultimately come their way, it speaks to the vision, and the range of possibilities here, that theyâre even focusing on players of that ilk.
Kuminga One Of The More Coveted Free Agents
It is not a strong free agency crop this summer. And it is a particularly barren pool at the forward positions. After LeBron James at small forward, and Julius Randle at power forward, the lists fall off fast.
Kuminga therefore stands out on the market. This past season, he averaged 15.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the regular season, shooting 45.5% from the field and 30.5% from three last season. However, he was in and out of favour with the team all year, to the point that he received three “did not play – coach’s decisions” during their first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
Never in the four years that Kuminga and the Warriors have been together has anything been especially settled. While acknowledging his gifts, the Warriors have also acknowledged that they cannot give him what he wants, because they do not feel he can always give them what they need. With the addition of Jimmy Butler taking much of Kuminga’s time in the rotation – and his opportunities within the offence – the two parties seem destined to part. And it appears the Kings want to capitalise on that.
Kings Making Moves
The Kings are expected to be one of the more active teams in what is widely expected to be a “crazy” offseason of player movement, something Amick himself confirmed in a follow-up radio appearance when he described Kings general manager Scott Perry as âturning over a lot of rocksâ as he looks to upgrade the roster.
If they do go in for Kuminga, though, they absolutely will not be alone. Among other rumored suitors – including, but certainly not limited to, the Chicago Bulls – the Miami Heat are an oft-rumored party. In a similar situation to the Kings, the Heat are intending to be very active in the market – or at least look like they are. There are not many players of note available, which will theoretically up the price tag on the few that there are. (Especially in the sign-and-trade market, when an extra party has to be pacified.)
On the plus side, the lack of cap space league-wide could help to keep Kuminga’s price down. Kuminga seeks, or at least sought, $30 million per year, the major reason why he was not able to agree to an extension with the Warriors in preseason. Yet that $30 million almost certainly is not there. If the Kings can find $20 million in year one, they might have a chance.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Kings Interested in Warriors’ Third-Leading Scorer appeared first on Heavy Sports.